The Crow and The Butterfly
by Chika Croi
Summary: Kurama/Hiei pairing. Drabble series. Yaoi. Each chapter is a different prompt. Rated M as a precaution to later chapters that might include darker themes.
1. Gymnopedie

**Authors Note:** Hello everyone. This is something new that I'm trying out. It's a drabble series for the pairing of Kurama/Hiei set in the Yu Yu Hakusho universe. Every entry will range from 100-1000 words. No more, no less. Which is a challenge for me, but I kind of like it. Anyways, this series has no sequence. There is no order. Each prompt can be read separately. Some will take place as a 'behind the scene' kind of prompt, which means a continuation of a scene from the anime. Some will take place during specific arcs. Some will not. Some will just be random moments within the timeline. All the info is below, so I'm pretty much just rambling. :3 I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters (dammit). It's plot and characters and even dialogue all belongs to its respective owner(s). I make no money or profit from this. I has no monies. Sue me, and you might receive compensation in the form of a bunch of pens. Because that's pretty much all I have to my name.

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><p><strong>The Crow and The Butterfly<strong>

_Prompt Name: __Gymnopedie__  
>Timeline: NA  
>Point of View: Hiei<br>Word Count: 981  
>Notes: Takes place during the series, not during any specific arc. Just a night that Hiei drops by.<em>

There were plenty of times when I worried if the Ningenkai had tainted Kurama beyond repair. Moments were few and far between, but they were still there. Of course, there was the sentiments for his human mother. That front always made me uncomfortable. I watched him interacting with Shiori, and I was at a loss how he was really feeling each time. It was obvious he cared for her. Maybe I just wasn't used to the facade he put on around her. When Shiori was around, he wasn't Kurama. He was Suichi Minamino. And I didn't know Suichi. And then the humming started. A soft tune that he hummed quietly whenever his mind wandered when we were alone. The first time he did it, he didn't even know it. When I asked him about it, he said he didn't know he was even humming in the first place. Two days later, the same tune was once more being hummed. That time, I didn't say anything. Ever since, He'd been humming it. Probably unaware the entire time. I didn't know if I wanted to ask him about it or not.

It was dark when I reached his house, though he left his window open for me as he always did. I slipped inside, only to find the room was empty. That was odd. The lights weren't even on, but Kurama was definitely inside the house. His mother, however, was not. It didn't concern me one way or the other, but I wondered if I should just leave. If Kurama wasn't in his room, perhaps he was busy. I turned to go, but was stopped when I heard a very soft melody filling the house. I frowned, listening, and it only took me a second to pinpoint it as that same tune Kurama had been humming. Curiosity getting the best of me, I turned back in and followed the music down the stairs and to the other side of the house. The soft ballad was coming from the library room, and the door had been left cracked open.

I opened it and my eyes immediately landed on Kurama's silhouette, sitting on the chair of the grand piano that was on a raised platform next to the large window. I could see his fingers moving swiftly over the keys, the sound almost coming effortlessly. I moved closer into the room and took a good look at him, noticing his eyes were glazed over and had a faraway look. I frowned, wondering if he even noticed I was in the room with him. He didn't show any signs of stopping, so I let him be and took a sit on the window sill overlooking the backyard and just listened to it. It was soothing, in its own kind of way, though it was a bit somber for Kurama's taste. The song came to an end and I turned to watch Kurama as he sat still, his eyes still staring down at the keys, though that look from his eyes was gone. He was present and with me now.

"It's called Gymnopedie. It's composed by Satie." He said to me, turning to face me with a small smile. "I had almost forgotten how to play. The beginning was a little rocky." He finished quietly. I was silent for a while, unsure whether or not I was comfortable where this conversation was going. Or where the song was going. I finally just sighed and rested back against the window sill, feeling tired. Most of the day had been spent training with the dragon, and I was dead on my feet. Perhaps that was why I let this continue.

"What does it mean?" I asked him, shoving my hands into my pockets. I really didn't think it would make a difference if told me. I didn't understand this part of him. I didn't even know if I wanted to.

"The song that was playing when Yoko's spirit inhabited this body. I remember it." He said quietly. His eyes were staring out the window and then suddenly became clouded with anguish and regret. I frowned.

"Kurama." I said sharply, pulling him out of his stupor. He blinked a few times and looked at me.

"My mother's birthday is in a few days. She wants to celebrate it with her son. The son I took from her." He said, his voice void of emotion. I didn't like this and I could feel the hair on the back of my neck standing on edge. I stood up and walked over to where he was still sitting on the piano seat, noticing that he turned so he was no facing from the window and facing me. He looked up at me, his expression blank.

"Stop whining about information only you are privy to. As far as Shiori is concerned, she's not missing her son. She has no reason to. Self pity does not become you." I told him honestly. I went to walk past him, intent on sleeping somewhere else for the night, when his hand enclosed around my wrist. He pulled me back onto the raised platform and rested his head on my chest.

"Stay with me tonight." He told me. I debated it. "Don't make me use my tricks." He said teasingly. The corner of my mouth twitched upwards.

"I thought I told you not to manipulate me. If you want me to stay by your said, then just say it." I said curtly.

"Stay by my side." He said without hesitation. I grunted a ran a hand through his hair.

"Come. I've been training with the dragon all day. You're lucky I haven't passed out yet." I told him. He chuckled and stood up, grabbing a hold of my hand and leading me from the room, the piano left to bathe in the moonlight by itself for the night.


	2. Chapter Black

**Authors Note:** Well, here's another drabble. This will be updated as I see fit. I may go a while without updating, or I may update once every couple of days. It depends on if I find inspiration for a prompt or not. Enjoy. :3

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters (dammit). It's plot and characters and even dialogue all belongs to its respective owner(s). I make no money or profit from this. I has no monies. Sue me, and you might receive compensation in the form of a bunch of pens. Because that's pretty much all I have to my name.

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><p><strong>The Crow and The Butterfly<strong>

_Prompt Name: __Chapter Black__  
>Timeline: Sensui Arc<br>Point of View: Kurama  
>Word Count: 970<br>Notes: A continuation of the scene when Hiei and Kurama are in the woods, and Hiei is holding onto the Chapter Black tape, and after a few words from Kurama, stands up and cuts the tape into pieces._

"Dammit, my sword slipped." Hiei said, the Chapter Black tape falling into pieces on the forest floor. I stared hard at the destroyed tape, truly surprised, with a ghost of a smile on my face. Hiei closed his eyes and sat down once more, leaning back against the tree. "Why are you staring at me?" He asked.

"You never cease to amaze me." I told him. After all that was said and done, I was glad I could enjoy Hiei's company like this without the thread of death and Armageddon looming overhead. "We're A class demons now." I said quietly. Hiei grunted.

"Ch, yeah. At the cause of Yusuke's death no less. How pathetic." He said angrily. I held back the urge to laugh. He was never happy. I recalled Hiei's anger in the caves and the power that was put into the most powerful dragon Hiei's ever created yet. Though I was consumed with my own anger at the time, looking back, Hiei's transformation was incredible. "If you're going to think so loud, you might as well share. Otherwise, stop it." Hiei warned me, breaking me from my thoughts. I smiled a little.

"Just amazed at your reaction. To his death, I mean." I said, referring to Yusuke. Hiei closed his eyes in irritation.

"I couldn't control it." He said, sounding angry with himself. He took his katana off his waist and took his cloak off, settling himself next to me. "I tried to get a grip. I don't…care about a lot of people. Not enough for death to matter. Not enough to risk my own life. There's four people who actually give a damn about me. Who…put worth in me. Trust me. Who I trusted back and respected. Sensui took took one of those people from me. I could not forgive that." He said heavily, letting out an aggravated sigh. "I sound like an ningen." He said with disgust. I smiled and moved so that I was laying down on my back and I grabbed a fist full of his shirt, yanking him on top of me. He fell with a grunt and glared at me.

"I love it when you get all sentimental." I told him teasingly. I could feel the growl forming in his chest before I heard it tear from his throat.

"Don't think I won't hurt you." He warned. I smiled, but then a serious thought hit me and I gripped his shirt tighter.

"I was so angry, and I knew I would be." I said, getting quiet. Curiosity hit Hiei's eyes and he quieted down, waiting patiently for me to gather my thoughts. "I have a terrible thought. It makes me feel so guilty." I told him. "You know how my brain works. You know that every situation I come into contact with I have several different outcomes, and I narrow it down to one. If…if one of us had to die, I was glad it was Yusuke." I said. Confusion passed Hiei's face, and he set a hard glare on me. I knew he would.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, tensing. I sighed.

"Don't misunderstand me. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you, Yusuke, or Kuwabara. But out of the four of us, Yusuke had the biggest chance of coming back. By reasons, I was unsure. But it was an outcome that I had thought of. When he didn't rise again and I saw Koenma, I thought that perhaps I was wrong. Of course then I was just so angry I didn't care anymore. Looking back, I'm amazed at my own reactions. And I can't help but wonder how it would have been different if it were someone else. Someone who I knew for a certain couldn't return. Kuwabara? Well, I knew how angry I would become. But you? What would I have done?" I asked, a sudden feeling of dread forming in the pit of my chest. Hiei stared at me for a long time and then closed his eyes. He stayed like that for a while before he opened them again, and then he let out a short 'hn'.

"The same thing I would have done if the situation was reversed and it was you. Destroyed everything and everyone in site, head to the Rekai, and pull me out of limbo yourself." He told me, a small smirk forming on his face. I frowned.

"Hiei, I'm being serious." I told him. He glared at me.

"Stop it. You're spouting nonsense. There's no point thinking about this. It's not the first time you and I have danced with death. It won't be the last." He told me. "Should the situation ever arise, it really would be a moot point trying to think of how to react. Whoever involved would meet the most horrendous death I can think of. When they were dead, I would join you. End of story." He said, placing a hand over my head to support his weight and the other picked a strand of my hair, twirling it between his fingers. He leaned in close and placed his lips on my neck, leaving hot kisses on my skin until he reached my pulse. "Besides, I've not had my fill of you yet." He whispered. "And anyone tries to say otherwise, they'll meet the end of my blade." He said, biting down hard on my pulse and drawing blood. I gasped out in pain and pleasure, grabbing a fistful his hair at the sudden shock.

"Bastard! That hurt!" I scowled. I could feel the rumble in his chest as he quietly laughed. "That's going to leave a mark." I said, slightly irritated. Hiei pulled back to look at me, a smirk on his face. He was such an ass sometimes.

"Good." He growled out.


	3. Vulnerable

**Authors Note:** Here's is the third installment. It was inspired by the song Vulnerable by Secondhand Serenade. It's a good idea to listen to the song before or after you read this. Maybe even during. Anyways, I hope you like it. Enjoy guys!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters (dammit). Its plot and characters and even dialogue all belongs to its respective owner(s). I make no money or profit from this. I has no monies. Sue me, and you might receive compensation in the form of a bunch of pens. Because that's pretty much all I have to my name.

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><p><strong>The Crow and The Butterfly<br>**  
><em>Prompt Name: <em>_Vulnerable__  
>Timeline: NA  
>Point of View: Kurama<br>Word Count: 942  
>Notes: Doesn't take place during a specific timeline. Kurama's frustration with Hiei's inability to show or voice his emotions.<em>

It was cold tonight. I tapped on my desk with the eraser end of my pencil, turning yet again to look out the window and into the night sky. There weren't many stars out. It was a rather dull sight, if I was being honest. The real reason I had turned my head was because I had been debating for the last five minutes if I should shut my window or not. As I've said, it was rather cold tonight, and kitsunes weren't fond of the cold. I felt another presence in the room with me, and I instantly recognized it.

"Homework? This late?" Hiei asked, taking a seat on the edge of my bed. He moved so fast that I didn't even see him flit through the open window. An unnerving feeling settled in the pit of my chest as I turned to take in Hiei's appearance. He looked as he always did, which was part of the problem.

"It's cold outside." I announced, ignoring his past question. He seemed to sense something was off. He was rather good at that and I watched in annoyed fascination as he visibly tensed at taking my appearance in. Hiei's ki flared as he attempted to warm the room up. The thought alone was usually enough to make me smile, but, not tonight. I let my pencil fall onto the open book on my desk and I stood up, walking over to stand in front of the forbidden child. His eyes were wary, but there was curiosity in them as well. He wanted to ask just what I was thinking. Of course, that Jagan eye could easily find out. But Hiei was nothing if not a man of his word. He vowed he would never enter my head without my express permission, or unless I was in immediate danger. There it was again. Something I should be smiling and happy at. But I was agitated tonight. I evaded crimson orbs and wrapped my arms around Hiei's neck, pushing my weight forward until we both toppled onto the bed. Hiei laid underneath me, completely stiff, his fingertips only grazing my waist. "Hm. It seems it's a bit cold inside too." I said curtly. He was quiet for a moment.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked defensively, as I knew he would become.

"Am I just someone for you to lay with?" I asked. A growl erupted from the fire demon's throat. I closed my eyes and didn't move, letting my head rest on his shoulder.

"Don't be a fool. What is your problem tonight?" He asked me.

"Do I scare you, Hiei? Do you not know what to do with me? Or even about me?" I asked him. He got quiet and didn't answer. "What am I to you?" I asked him.

"You're speaking nonsense." He said, his voice a lot quieter. There was a soft shake to it as well. He was uncomfortable. Good.

"Come now, you're hardly an idiot. It's not nonsense." I answered back, finally lifting my upper body up to look down at him. His face was blank. His game face. Very well. I could break that. I didn't like fighting with Hiei, but the whole reason for my agitation was his urge to go to war whenever I asked him questions like these."Does it bother you when I tell you that I love you? Or is it repulsion? It is a human sentiment, after all." I said, knowingly pushing his buttons. His eyes narrowed. He was so easy sometimes. As I stated, Hiei was not an idiot. But living for over 3000 years gives you an intelligence that someone of only 250 plus years couldn't even begin to understand. Hiei's fingertips were still touching my waist, and they were shaking.

"Kurama?" He whispered. He was not accustomed to this side of me.

"Do you know that I'm scared, too? We're completely and totally unprepared." I said, wanting to laugh.

"Then why-" He started, but I cut him off.

"Because I don't care." I said hotly. "Hiei, why do you feel the need to act so invincible all the time? Even in closed quarters and it's just me. And don't tell me it's because you can't, because you can. I've seen you. Why am I the only one who's vulnerable?" I asked him, the sadness finally showing in my eyes. Hiei was staring at me with that blank expression, completely shutting me out. I frowned. Maybe this was pointless. Maybe Hiei really just couldn't do it. With that, I sighed and stood up, leaving Hiei laying on my bed and I sat down at my desk, picking up my pencil once more. "Apparently, I am." I told him. "You don't have to stay." I finished, leaving his fate up to him yet again. I could feel him slowly sit up and then slowly move towards the window. He seemed hesitant though as his eyes pierced the back of my skull. It was quiet for a long while as I completed the math in front of me without really seeing it.

"You're not." Came his voice, before I felt him leave. I sat there for a long while, pondering our situation. It wasn't easy, though I never expected it to be. Regardless, a ghost of a smile made its way onto my face as I felt his ki settle not too far from my house, in a tree none the less. I shut off the lamp light and crawled in bed, wrapping my blankets around me tightly and closing my eyes. Maybe I could will the cold away.


	4. Pink Mist

**Authors Note:** Here we are. The fourth installment. This one was mainly inspired by my need to know what goes on inside Hiei's head when he's pissed off. I actually find he'd be a bit more violent than I wrote him here, but, one step at a time. I hope you guys enjoy. (:

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or it's characters (dammit). It's plot and characters and even dialogue all belongs to its respective owner(s). I make no money or profit from this. I has no monies. Sue me, and you might receive compensation in the form of a bunch of pens. Because that's pretty much all I have to my name.

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><p><strong>The Crow and The Butterfly<strong>

_Prompt Title: __Pink Mist  
><em>_Timeline: The Dark Tournament Arc  
>Point of View: Hiei<br>Word Count:484  
>Note: Takes place during the beating that Kurama's unconscious body is receiving from that jackass. This is Rated M for the violence and gore taking place inside of Hiei's head.<em>

I didn't know I was capable of hating someone so much. And coming from me, that's a lot. I was visibly shaking from head to toe as I tried to control my rage and the rage I felt from the black dragon. The bitch keeping me locked in this medical tent was going to run out of energy soon, but not before her healing properties brought me back to my full strength. Force field or not, the dragon would rip her to pieces. I didn't hear the masked fighter's words next to me. I couldn't hear the bitch wrapped in wires in front of me. I couldn't hear Yusuke's yells. The only thing I could hear was the sound of large fist smacking into Kurama's skin. Each hit only making the blackened anger within me rise higher and higher. I was not a hero. I was not the good guy. Nobody would be fucking safe.

His body was being used like a punching bag as well as a rag doll. My eyes averted to the tall Shinobi in the ring, taking in the pleasure from landing another punch onto Kurama. My aura was shifting dangerously, the dragon almost ready to be released. The edges of my vision were a stark red, and I was ready to feel the spill of hot blood on my hands. If this did not stop there would be nothing in this stadium that could stop what I was on the verge of unleashing. I hated humans. I especially hated the humans who forced this tournament upon us. They would pay dearly. But first, it would all start with Bakken. He laughed as he landed another hit, blood pouring down the side of Kurama's face. Bakken would eat every single one of those teeth. This unfurling anger and that curled and licked at my insides was driving me insane as I envisioned strangling Bakken with his own entrails. But Bakken would only be my first victim. Including the humans up top. I would shower this stadium in pink mist if it came down to it, the feeling only settling deeper in my mind as Yusuke agreed.

Yusuke had his finger pointed at Bakken, and I could tell from his stance that this was not a bluff. One more hit and that blue rei gun would take Bakken's head. Which was unsatisfying to me but would have to suffice considering my current predicament. Bakken considered his options as he picked Kurama up by his shirt, Kurama's head falling backwards. I grit my teeth hard as Bakken threw Kurama's body to the outside of the ring. A seething hate for the bastard tore at my gut, and though Yusuke's anger allowed him to beat the living hell out of him, I knew I would be unsatisfied until Bakken's head had been split open. But Kurama, and my sanity, were safe. For now.


	5. Something More

**Authors Note:** Fifth installment. I hope you guys like it. Please, let me know what you guys think. Reviews make me happy. (:

**Disclaimer: **Meh, I don't own Yu Yu Haksuho (dammit). All characters, plot scenes, and dialogue all belong to their respective owner(s). I'm not making any money from this. Just enjoyment. Which you can't sue me for. Neener.

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><p><strong>The Crow and The Butterfly<strong>

_Prompt Title: __Something More__  
>Timeline: NA  
>Point of View: Hiei<br>Word Count: 749  
>Notes: A continuation of the prompt: Vulnerable<em>

He left the window open. I knew he would. I hesitated, and then felt inherently silly. Why the hell was I so hesitant? The lights were off, and Kurama's ki showed that he was in his bed. He was most likely sleeping. I ducked into the room and my eyes immediately landed on the sleeping figure huddled underneath the blankets. I stood at the side of his bed and crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes a little as I stared down at my sleeping…my sleeping…what? What was he? He was not my boyfriend. I wouldn't associate such a ningen title to what he was. But we weren't mates either. Not by demon standards anyways. He surprised me tonight, and it was an understatement to say that he caught me off guard. I was growing increasingly frustrated. Why Kurama was so hell bent on a label, I didn't know. But I was not pleased with how tonight went.

My intentions were to come, as I had been coming for the past few months, and see him. And sleep here, as well. Though most of the time I slept on the window sill, I occasionally would find myself slipping into bed with him to sleep instead. It was never intended for any sort of relationship to progress. It just happened. Looking back, I couldn't even decide who started this…whatever the hell this was. Was I attracted to the fox? Of course I was. Nobody in their right mind wouldn't be. I've yet to meet anyone who matched Kurama intellectually. He was deadly and cut throat on the battlefield, and inflicted terror into the eyes of his opponents. He wasn't overly emotional or rash like those two dimwitted fools whom insist they're friendship upon me. Kurama, whether he was in his human body or took on the form of Youko, was also the most physically attractive demon I've ever met. To top it all off, I was…comfortable around him. I didn't feel the need to shut him out.

So why the hell couldn't I just tell him that? I pressed my lips into a hard line, frustrated with myself and slightly with him. A chilled breeze swept into the room and Kurama's eyebrows furrowed, a slight shiver taking a hold of his frame. I projected my ki outwards and over the entire bed until the shivering stopped, and the look of sleepy peacefulness swept over Kurama's face yet again. I blinked a few times and sighed, taking my cloak off and laying it over the back of Kurama's desk chair. I unstrapped my katana and set it against the wall, and took my boots off as well, setting them next to my katana. I stared at him for a while again with a small frown on my face and finally approached the bed. With a last irate sigh I yanked my shirt up over my head and laid it over the headboard, pulling the covers back and quickly slipping into bed next to him.

I regarded him with slight curiosity and wondered if he had woken up. It wouldn't surprise me if he was awake and knew I had been here the entire time. He was oddly aware of his surroundings, even when he was asleep. I settled my right arm underneath the spare pillow and laid my head on it, my left hand falling idle next to Kurama's. I stared at his sleeping face for a moment before gently and slowly letting the tips of my fingers touch his. Underneath the rough calluses of my fingers, his skin was smooth to the touch. I kept my fingers there and closed my eyes, intent on sleeping. A moment later, I felt Kurama's fingers twitch as they slowly tangled with my own. With his hand completely intertwined with my now, I reopened my eyes to see him staring at me, emerald eyes filled with recognition and sleep. Neither of us spoke and after a few moments, Kurama closed his eyes again. I brought our hands close to my face and silently pressed my lips to one of his fingers for a brief moment, and then returned our hands to its previous position.

"Hiei…" He whispered softly. I knew he was about to apologize.

"Hush. Go back to sleep." I ordered quietly. A small smile graced his face and I watched silently as he slipped back into slumber. A few minutes later and I fell asleep as well. Our hands remained intertwined between us.


	6. You and I

**Authors Note:** Sixth installment. Wooh! I'm updating like a boss these past two days. xD. I actually probably won't update this fast for this story on a regular basis. It's really just whenever I get inspiration for a prompt. Hm. Anyways. Kurama might be a little OOC in this one. I tried to keep him as in character as possible, but, I'm not sure. I think he'd act a little differently when he's under a lot of stress. I don't know. Let me know what you think? Thank you so much to littlemija69 and Mayushii for reviewing. It means so much to me. :3

**Disclaimer: **Same disclaimer as the last five installments. I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters (dammit). 'Nuff said.

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><p><strong>The Crow and The Butterfly<strong>

_Prompt Title: __You and I  
><em>_Timeline: Makai Tournament Arc  
>Point of View: Kurama<br>Word Count: 1000  
>Notes: Inspired by You and I by Secondhand Serenade. Takes place before Yusuke brings the idea of the tournament to Yomi, when Kurama is feeling a bit overwhelmed with the three personalities inside of him.<em>

This place would be the death of me. Dealing with the problems that have risen in the Makai was overwhelming, and not because I couldn't do it, but because my past was slowly being dug up right in front of my eyes. As Kurama, I felt sick and exhausted. How could I look Yomi in the face knowing what Youko and done to him? I was not proud of my past, but I knew it was as much a part of me as Suichi's façade was. I could get rid of neither. I felt like I was losing myself, and right now, Youko was taking place. I finished my duties today as Yomi's right hand man, and I needed to get out of his territory. I left as fast I could, taking off at a run as soon as I was free of the compound. I didn't know where I was going, but the more I ran, the more distressed I became. The moon rose higher into the sky the further I got from Yomi's territory, and I realized the ironic beauty in it all.

I was running. I seemed to do that a lot. Not physically, but from my past and the dreams that haunted me. I always ran from them, without taking a second glance at them. Maybe that was my fault, after all. I felt torn into three different pieces, and I was unsure which piece would come to take a permanent place within me. I ran hard and fast, ignoring the pain in my legs and my lungs as I ran further and further, making my way up a cliff side and finally stopping at the top. This was one of the tallest points in the Makai, and I could see over everything, including the lights from Yomi's compound on the horizon. I panted for breath and finally let myself collapse onto the ground beneath me, my legs hanging off the side of the cliff. My head so clouded and it was making it hard to think. I placed my head in my hands and tried to will the turmoil within me away. I was so caught up with myself that I didn't even know someone was with me until I felt a pair of strong arms around my shoulders. I jumped, startled as I turned to come face to face with Hiei.

"Are you alright?" He asked me, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. I hadn't seen Hiei in five months, and I had a feeling that was also taking a toll on me. A comforting warmth enveloped me and some of the distress and discomfort I was feeling disappeared. I swallowed the lump in my throat.

"For now." I whispered. I shifted and leaned back into Hiei's shoulder, letting out a breath of air. He didn't say anything. He didn't have to. I thought about the situation he and I managed to get ourselves into. Technically, we were rivals. If Mukuro or Yomi found out about this, I was sure they wouldn't be pleased. I thought of Hiei, and I wondered why he was able to bring me such comfort. There were many answers, obviously, but I think a part of it was because he felt his own turmoil inside of him as well. It was a different kind of struggle, but Hiei's past haunted him just as mine did. I could see it in his eyes, especially whenever something brought it to the front of his mind. It was the most guarded Hiei became around me. It was comforting to know that I wasn't the only one who felt broken, and then I felt a fervent wish to make him feel less broken. That always happened. Such a silly and illogical feeling. I couldn't fix Hiei anymore than he could fix me. But that didn't stop me from wanting to.

"Stop thinking so loud." He told me gruffly. I smiled as we stared out over the horizon, happy to be here with him. I was quite content to stay here, to be honest. That was something else I wasn't accustomed too. Besides my human mother, I wasn't the type to be comforted by a single place or person. The longer I was around someone, the more I wanted to distance myself from them.

"Did you just happen to stumble across me? Or were you already here and I just happened to arrive?" I asked him. He was quiet for a moment, and I was unsure if he was going to answer me or not. I never could tell what was going on in that head of his.

"Neither. I was in my quarters, intent on sleeping. I've grown used to your ki signal, and when it came within range I recognized it. It felt off. I thought maybe you were in some sort of trouble." He answered. I smiled again.

"My hero. You never cease to amaze me." I said, heavily teasing him. I could feel the growl rumbling within his chest and I couldn't help but laugh.

"You're so annoying. I find myself, yet again, pondering just why the hell I put up with you." He told me, his voice teasing as well and only sounding half serious. Our banter was complicated and comforting. I would never give this up. I would never give us up. No matter the turmoil internally or externally, I had a feeling I could handle it. So long as I had Hiei at my side.

"What?" He asked, taking in the expression on my face. "What's going through that head of yours?" He asked. I smiled.

"Just you and I." I answered, shifting and pushing him back onto the ground. "No more talking." I ordered, running my fingers beneath his shirt, enjoying his muscles contracting beneath them and I leaned down, capturing his lips with my own. The sun would rise and we would return to our domains. But for now, we were all that mattered.


	7. Vines

**Authors Note:** Seventh installment. My first Rated M prompt, too. Let's see how this goes. xD. Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **So, I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho (dammit). You should know this by now. It's not like the first time I've said it or anything. xD.

* * *

><p><strong>The Crow and The Butterfly<strong>

_Prompt Title: __Vines  
><em>_Timeline: N/A  
>Point of View: Hiei<br>Word Count: 925  
>Notes: A frustrating situation for Hiei. Rated M for a bondage centered theme.<em>

I growled in frustrating at the thick vines pulling at my wrist. I've been trying for the past two hours to break them, but it was no use. With Kurama feeding his spirit energy into them, resisting was futile. And yet, I wouldn't stop. Concentrating on trying to break my bonds was the only thing keeping me from abandoning my pride and giving into the bet Kurama and I made. And it would certainly be unpleasant if I gave in and lost. This was torture, plain and simple. And while I was usually all for torture, this kind of torture was maddening.

"You better hope I don't break free." I growled. Kurama only smiled and placed more feather light touches and lingering kisses over my body. I recalled how I got myself into this situation and wanted to curse myself. I should have seen it coming. It started out as just a simple bet. While Kurama and I both had our fair share of dominance in our 'relationship', it was noted by both of us that Kurama was much more vocal in bed. A stupid note, really, and one I probably should have kept to myself. He only smiled that patient smile of his and proceeded to tell me that, if given the right amount of…attention, I too could become rather vocal. I denied it as soon as he said it. That was when the bet had formed. Of course, I wasn't expecting it to happen right now. I figured maybe the next time we slept together he would attempt and would fail. I really should know Kurama better than that by now. Apparently I had made him hell bent on proving his point this very day. The next thing I know, I've got two strong and thick vines pinning me down to his bed, with a half naked fox with a purpose on top of me. And that was two hours ago. I growled again. Kurama made his way up my chest again, his mouth lingering over my pulse.

"What's the matter, Hiei? Don't you like foreplay?" He asked. I grit my teeth.

"Fuck you." I told him. He chuckled and placed his lips right next to my ear.

"So impatient. Not to worry, I fully intend to." He whispered, biting down on my ear hard enough to make a small yelp escape from my throat. He sat back up with a satisfied look on his face as he stared down at me, and he seemed to be in thought about something. His eyes narrowed a little as he took in my appearance. "Of course, you're going to have to beg me first." He said. I stared at him with a bewildered expression. The audacity of this bastard never ceased to amaze me.

"I don't beg." I growled. He only smiled.

"I beg to differ. It's been two hours and you're already, and rather noisily might I add, going insane. I've had over three thousand years of experience at doing this. Don't think for a second that I can't make you scream for me." He told me. I was going to kill him. As soon as I was released from these damn vines I was going to strangle him with them. "I'm incredibly patient. And you're so much fun to tease." He said, leaning back down and taking my bottom lip into his teeth. He bit down gently before smiling once more, and leaned down, leaving a trail of kisses down my neck and chest. "I could very well do this for hours." He finished, returning to his previous ministrations. I dug my nails into my palms and attempted to ignore the restlessness growing in the pit of my stomach. The worse part of this was that he wasn't bluffing. Now, it was a matter of priorities. If I continued the way I was going, we would certainly be here for hours, Kurama enjoying himself the entire time like the sly fox that he was. I could humor him and actually beg, which would catch him off guard and cut his fun short. That seemed pleasing enough, but I would lose the bet. So, which was more important? Kurama gave a particularly hard nip to the inside of my thigh and I hissed, glaring down at him. Looks like my pride would be taking a bit of a hit today after all.

"Dammit, Kurama. Would you just fuck me already?" I growled out, thoroughly enjoying the look of surprised shock coming over Kurama's face. Yes, I think I could suffer through a slight bruising of my pride for this.

"What?" He asked stupidly. I bit back a smile.

"I didn't stutter. Fuck. Me." I ordered. He stared at me for a while, wondering if I was being serious or not, and then smiled slightly.

"I didn't think you would give in that fast." He told me. I glared at him.

"I'm chock full of surprises." I said with acid lacing my tone. "Come on." I growled out, yanking harshly against my restraints. Kurama eyed them as he removed the last article of clothing he was wearing and laid on top of me, another small smile tugging at his lips.

"No. I think I'll leave them be. I like you like this." He told me. I glared at him again. I hated him. Really, I did. He placed a chaste kiss on my lips. "Let's see just how loud you can be." He muttered.

I was definitely going to kill him when we were through.


	8. Heat

**Authors Note:** Eighth installment. Wooh! I hope you guys enjoy. Please let me know what you think. (:

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters. I feel like a broken record. Always repeating myself. xD.

* * *

><p><strong>The Crow and The Butterfly<strong>

_Prompt Title: __Heat__  
>Timeline: NA  
>Point of View: Hiei<br>Word Count: 922  
>Notes: A little silly, but I feel this is needed. Every couple does it. Why should these two be an exception? xD.<em>

Being a fire demon has its advantages. I don't get cold, ever. During winter, I always get glares from everyone around me about why they have to freeze their asses off while I walk around with my sleeveless black shirt. Nobody understands my plight, however, when it's blistering hot outside during summer. Every advantage has a disadvantage, after all. Today was one of those days. I didn't even know it could get this hot in the human world. The August afternoon heat was almost more than I could bear when I entered Kurama's window, and to make matters worse, there didn't seem to be a change in temperature in Kurama's room. It was just as hot in here as it was outside. I might actually have a heat stroke.

"Why the hell is it so hot in here?" I asked Kurama, stepping fully into the bedroom and looking around at Kurama's overly neat room. He was sitting at his computer desk with an irritated look in his eye. Foxes loved being comfortable. If it got too cold or too hot, they got irritated as hell. Something else I was not looking forward to dealing with. The near pout on Kurama's over heated face as he looked at me would have been humorous if it wasn't for the oppressive heat. I could almost taste it.

"Our air conditioning system is broken." He whined. He stared at me as he ran his fingers through his hair and pulled it all the way back, smoothing out the bumps and tying it back into a pony-tail. A thin sheen of sweat covered his face and neck and he sighed, leaning back into his computer chair with crossed arms. "I think I'm dying." He whined once more. I scoffed and yanked my shirt up over my head, throwing it into the corner of the room. I kicked my boots off and sat back on the bed, leaning against the wall and crossed my arms.

"You think you're hot? Try having a heated ki that you can't get rid of." I scowled. Kurama blinked a few times, recognition showing on his face. He smiled a little and covered his mouth with his fingers, trying not to laugh.

"You know, I forgot about that." He confessed. I glared at him, wanting to retaliate. It was too hot to argue, however, and I just groaned and leaned my head back against the wall. I could feel Kurama's eyes on me still, and I looked at him with a questioning glance. He smiled slightly, a glint in his eye. I narrowed mine as I stared at him. That didn't bode well for me. He stood up from his seat and quickly unbuttoned the shirt he was wearing, and tossed it into the chair. Dressed in only a pair of blue sweats, he crawled onto the bed and stopped short in front of me. "Hiei." He said, in a voice that I knew all too well. I groaned.

"Are you kidding me? It's too hot. That's going to make it worse." I told him. He shrugged and bit his bottom lip, straddling me before I could say anything else. I growled at him, intent on throwing him off of me.

"Did you know that foxes are rather affectionate?" Kurama asked, an all too happy smile on his face.

"Unfortunately." I said sourly. He wrapped his arms around my neck and had the audacity to actually nuzzle the side of my face and neck. He ran his fingers through my hair and kissed the corner of my mouth.

"Kiss me." He ordered. I rolled my eyes and complied, pulling him fully against me and tangling my own fingers in his hair. I still wasn't sure whether or not I liked this particular activity we participated in from time to time. Kurama, being the 'affectionate fox' that he was, liked to…what the hell did he call it? Oh, make out. That's what it was. The problem with Kurama is that he liked to do this for _hours_. Normally, I didn't mind. Today? The air between us was already heating up, as was the coat of sweat covering both of us. Ignoring my internal protest, I pulled him closer and deepening the kiss, enjoying the small moan he let out. A few minutes later and I did pull away, my breath heavy.

"It's really hot." I told him. He smiled and nodded, lightly kissing me once more. "Isn't the Detective supposed to be stopping by?" I asked. Kurama nodded. Great. I certainly hope Kurama had his fill with this before Yusuke showed up. The last time Yusuke caught us like this, he referred to us as 'two horny teenagers, making out'. It was offensive and not even remotely true. Kurama captured my lips again and ran his hands over my shoulders and neck, settling himself more comfortably in my lap. It actually surprised me that I didn't expect this to go any further. It never did. We kissed, for an obscene amount of time, and then continued to do whatever it was we were doing before. I lost track of how long we sat in that bed, exchanging slow and languid heavy kisses with one another, ignoring the oppressive heat that seemed to get worse by the minute. It didn't matter. In the end, I wouldn't complain. Damn the heat, damn the Detective, and damn these ningens and their strange terms.

After all, we were just two horny teenagers making out. Or something like that.


	9. Possession

**The Crow and The Butterfly**

_Prompt Title: __Possession  
><span>__Timeline: Dark Tournament Arc  
>Point of View: Hiei<br>Word Count: 1,000  
>Notes: This is a two part drabble. Takes place during the 'issues' that Kurama has with Karasu before and after their fight.<em>

He was stressed out. I could tell that much just by watching him stand next to the window. The moon was high in the sky and Kurama was staring at it, though I could tell that he probably wasn't really seeing it. His thoughts were on our fight tomorrow. Ever since he came back from the stadium he'd been on edge with a haunted look in his eyes that was making me agitated. I was standing behind him with my arms crossed.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" I asked him. He tensed at my voice and slowly turned to face me, his face set in a hard stare. The look was back in his eyes.

"I need you to promise me something, Hiei." He asked me, his voice barely above a whisper. He turned and sat on the window sill, motioning for me to come closer. I complied, tense, and wondering what the hell happened today. He stared at me for a moment and placed both of his hands on the side of my face, bringing me close and lightly kissing me for a moment before staring hard at me again. "Will you?" He asked me. I nodded. "Tomorrow, if I lose my match against Karasu. If he doesn't kill me, promise me that you will." He said, his tone and eyes absolutely serious. I gaped at him, unable to do much else.

"Kurama?" I asked.

"I'm serious. I'm not afraid to die, Hiei. I shouldn't have gone by myself today. That was so stupid." Kurama said harshly, closing his eyes and letting his forehead hit my chest. "I was alone, and Bui and Karasu blocked my path in an entry way." He said. I tensed, grabbing onto Kurama's shoulders and pulling him back a little so he had to look at me. He stared with slightly widened eyes. "I can't believe I was that careless. At first, I thought Karasu was just trying to get into my head with the things he was saying. Talking about his sadomasochistic views that lovers should have with one another, about how he has to kill the things that he loves." He said, the words coming out of his mouth like word vomit.

"Kurama." I said quietly, forcing him to stop so he could gather his thoughts. He let out an irate sigh.

"Bui hit the wall and distracted me. I looked back and Karasu was gone. I couldn't even sense him. He was behind me, and he placed his hands around my neck. Played with my hair. He said I was beautiful." He said quietly. My teeth snapped shut and I ground them together in annoyance for a moment, pushing down a very sudden black anger that unfurled in the pit of my stomach. "Hiei, you have to promise –" He started, but I cut him off.

"No." I said fervently. He gave me a pleading look.

"Hiei –" He started, but once again I cut him off.

"I can't." I answered honestly, leaning over and placing my face against his. I could smell Karasu, and something that resembled gun powder, on Kurama's hair and neck. The anger was back. "I can't." I repeated quietly. I could never take Kurama's life. Not even in a circumstance like this. Kurama breathed out slowly and laid his forehead against my shoulder, gripping onto my shirt with one of his hands. I reached up and rand my hands through his hair, covering the strands that smelled like Karasu and wrapping them around my fingers, and then pushed his hair behind his shoulders. I tilted his head slightly and placed a kiss behind his ear, listening to him release a breath of air. I thought about something for a moment though, and stopped what I was doing. "Does this bother you?" I asked him. "When I cover you with my own scent or when I mark you?" I asked, unsure. He chuckled lightly.

"It bothers me when somebody other than you does, yes. But no, I take comfort when you do. Thank you for asking." He said, slightly amused. I smirked a little and made a noise in the back of my throat, continuing to cover Karasu's scent with my own. My lips covered Kurama's pulse, and after tightening my hand in his hair and pulling his head back a little, I bit into it, breaking the skin. Kurama hissed at the initial pain, but pulled me closer none the less. Switching from biting to kissing the now tender spot, Kurama sighed in contentment and pulled back with a light smile on his face. "For this particular time, thank you for that." He said. I snorted a little and pressed my lips against his temple for a brief second.

"It's instinct. We're not mates my demon standards, but dammit, you're still mine." I said stubbornly. Kurama laughed lightly and shook his head slightly.

"True. But you can't fool me. It's not just instinct. You're using me as a message. I should be offended." He said playfully. I bit back a smile.

"So then what are you?" I asked. He pretended to think about it.

"Kind of turned on." He said, fighting back a laugh. We were trying to be serious, after all. This was a serious situation. I tugged at the tie on his pants, and it came loose instantly. "Ah, and there's the ulterior motive. Always trying to get into my pants." He stated. I snorted.

"Trying?" I said with a smirk, leaning down and very quickly hoisting Kurama over my shoulder. He yelped out in surprise.

"Hiei!" He scolded, I ignored him and threw him onto the bed. He laughed, and I reveled in the sound. It wasn't often that Kurama genuinely laughed. He crooked his finger at me. "Come here." He said quietly. I crawled on top of him and let him pull me down so I was laying on top of him. "Let's send that message, then." He consented.


	10. Safe

**The Crow and The Butterfly**

_Prompt Title: __Safe__  
>Timeline: Dark Tournament Arc<br>Point of View: Hiei  
>Word Count: 968<br>Notes: A continuation of the prompt: Possession. Takes place after Kurama's 'issues' with Karasu._

Despite the light hearted night Kurama and I spent the night before his fight with Karasu, the day was entirely way too emotional for my liking. I had enough serious issues going on in my head to deal with the deep and heated issues going on with everyone around me. Between Genkai's death, my fight with Bui, Kuwabara faking his death, Yusuke's emotional breakdown and then rise against Toguro, the stadium being blown by that lunatic, nearly having a heart attack when that wall almost fell on Yukina, and the feeling of anger and helplessness at not being able to do anything as Karasu toyed with Kurama and caused him that much physical damage during their fight, I about had it with anything even remotely emotional. In fact, I was extremely volatile and pissed off. Even Kuwabara knew not to mess with me tonight.

The sun was setting and Kurama was sitting on his bed, wincing as he discarded his shredded and bloodied clothes. The wounds on him weren't very deep, but there was so damn many of them. I scowled as I watched him checking out each of them and opening up the med kit, wincing as he stretched his arm out too much. I rolled my eyes and stood up, walking over to him and pulling the med kit from his hands, setting it onto the bed next to him. I held his arm out, frowning as I looked at the wound. He glared at me.

"Hiei, that hurt!" He said, staring at me. I looked at him. "Look, I know you're in a pissy mood and that's fine. But I've been physically hurt enough for the day, don't you think?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. I stared at him for a while longer before sighing, and started to gently clean the wounds covering his body.

"Sorry." I muttered. He sighed and we sat in silence for a while, his eyes watching me the entire time. A small smile finally showed up on his face, eventually. "What?" I asked.

"You were such a hero today. Saving Yukina." He teased. I growled. "I beat you aren't happy with a certain someone." He said, still teasing.

"He was standing right fucking there! Useless. He is totally fucking useless." I snapped, remembering to be gentle with Kurama's wounds. He laughed a little, shaking his head.

"Hiei, I love you. I really do." He said gently, an amused smile on his face. I looked at him with a slight glare as he leaned down and lightly kissed me.

"I know." I told him gently, staring at him for a while longer and then continuing with my work on his wounds. "You almost got yourself killed today." I said. He sighed and closed his eyes, leaning back onto the bed now that his arms and torso was wrapped up. I move onto his legs.

"I know." He groaned. "That was so awful." He scolded himself. He was unbelievable. He almost died, and he was reprimanding himself for losing the match. Another thing that was testing my temper. We sat in silence for a while and I finally finished. I frowned at the wrappings, annoyed that so much of him had been damaged. Fucking Karasu. I had to forcefully hold myself back during the entire fight, hating Karasu more and more every time he spoke or looked at Kurama in a way I didn't like. I stood up and stared at Kurama for a moment, who was laying there with his eyes closed. "Come here." He whispered. I didn't move. He opened an eyes and looked at me, the unasked question within them.

"I'm glad…" I started, frowning a little. I shuffled my feet for a moment, debating on how to say this. I fucking hated this sometimes. Kurama stared at me with interest and sat up, pulling me closer to him. "You didn't get yourself killed. Fuck the match. Fuck the tournament. Fuck everything else. You're safe. So…I'm…uh, glad." I said lamely. He stared at me for a while and I fidgeted underneath his gaze, but I didn't break it. He then pulled me down and kissed me again.

"Thank you." He whispered against my lips. "I'm exhausted." He said then, scooting back into the bed and laying down, motioning for me to lay next to him. I took my shirt off and got in bed next to him, my hand falling idle next to mine. It seemed not too long ago that we found ourselves in this situation. I smiled a little at the memory as he entwined his fingers in mine. No matter how much we brushed it off, and no matter how much I didn't want to deal with it, losing Kurama was a very real possibility today. And if I was being honest, was probably the source of my irritation. I was scared. Me, scared. I'm completely aware that Hell just froze over. I didn't know how I got myself in this situation, but I had it, and it was very real. I lifted my free hand and gently traced his face, which had been untouched by Karasu. What would I have done if that match ended differently? I could feel the warmth radiating from his ki and warmth of his skin underneath my fingertip. What would I have done? "It's okay. Just sleep." He whispered, reading the emotion in my eyes and on my face. I wasn't guarding myself with him. "I'm not going anywhere." He finished.

"Kurama…" I breathed He smiled slightly and scooted closer, laying his forehead against mine.

"I love you too." He whispered, closing his eyes and falling asleep. I didn't say anything, but traced his knuckles with my thumb as I watched him sleep for a while, before falling asleep myself.


	11. Higher

**Author's Note:** Hello. Here's another installment. I finally got inspiration for this one again. Anyways, I was really just wanting a feel good happy moment with this one, so, that's probably why it seems a bit sappy towards the end. But you know what? Who cares. Anyways, this is also what I think SHOULD have happened between the whole Mukuro/Hiei thing. I didn't agree with her becoming his purpose for living, despite coming to terms with his feelings for Yusuke, Kurama, and Kuwabara, and decides to pretty much part ways with them. I think of that, and it makes me put on my sour face. ._.

So, without further adieu.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything. Seriously, stop making me repeat myself.

* * *

><p><strong>The Crow and The Butterfly<strong>

_Prompt Title: __Higher__  
>Timeline: Takes place after Kurama and Hiei's fight in the Makai tournament.<br>Point of View: Kurama  
>Word Count: Doesn't Matter<br>Notes: The final part in the Vulnerable and Something More prompt. Just a note, this will probably go over my 1000 word limit. But I've been good so far, so I don't care if it goes over on this one. xD._

I wasn't accustomed to feeling like this. I sat on the bed in the hospital wing of the stadium, letting the nurse finish up her job before finally turning to face the window, ignoring anyone else around me. I stared at my reflection in the window pane for a moment before scowling. How could he? I felt an odd sense of betrayal in the pit of my stomach, and it made me mad. Once more annoyance fluttered inside of me. I wasn't accustomed to feeling like this. I was over three thousand years old, I was a legendary thief, I was Youko Kurama. And who was he? Just a two hundred and fifty year old adolescent. I was Youko Kurama, and I didn't let people make me feel like this. I closed my eyes and willed the pain in my heart to ease. I felt like a child, something else I was really unaccustomed to feeling. I could feel Youko inside of me, shifting. I wasn't worried about him coming out though; I had taken care of that problem. But he was still there, as he always would be. And he was just as annoyed as I was.

"What are you sulking about?" He asked from the doorway. I clicked my teeth together and pointedly ignored him, keeping my eyes on my reflection, and refusing to look at his. "Hmm," He voiced thoughtfully, slowly walking into the room. "And here I am thinking I was the young one." He finally said, stopping to stand just behind me. I couldn't stop the anger inside of me then.

"If you have something to say, then say it. If not, then just leave." I snapped. I finally looked at his reflection, and he was staring straight back at me. He seemed oddly relaxed, and totally calm. Was he really just okay with what was about to happen? Well, if he was okay with it, then so was I. I finally turned to face him, and his eyes immediately found mine. I swallowed, unsure of what to say. I hated when he looked at me like that. His eyes were just as red as ever, only now they seemed to be smoldering. It was probably just me, but still. I felt unnerved by the penetrating look in his eyes. "Well?" I asked, breaking his gaze and staring at his chest instead, where his stone hung free.

"Well, what? Do I have to have a reason to come and see you now?" He asked, sounding a little confused. I looked up at him with wide and angry eyes. Did he really have no idea what he did? I stared at him for a moment and then shook my head. No, apparently he did not.

"Forget it." I said hotly, about to turn around when his hand gripped my shoulder. Heat seeped into my shoulder and gave me goose bumps, and I shoved his arm off. He offered a brief hurt look before he covered it up and stared at me, confused. "Why are you trying to make this harder on me?" I asked him. He blinked a few times.

"Kurama, what the hell are you talking about?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Your priorities have clearly shifted, and that's fine. In the end, I really shouldn't be upset. The important thing is now you've got someone who can help you with your issues in ways that I never could. So, why don't we stop dragging this out and get it over with?" I asked him. He looked like he was about to interrupt me, but I held my hand up and silenced him. "It's obviously over between us, yes? Well, I don't want to harbor any bad feelings, and I'm sure you don't either. So, no hard feelings. I think it's just best if we part ways as mutual acquaintances." I said quickly. Hiei's mouth fell open, something that I had only seen happen very rarely in the past, and he was staring at me like I had just run over his puppy. What the hell was wrong with him. I narrowed my eyes. "What?" I snapped. He closed his mouth and swallowed.

"You…you don't want to be with me?" He asked, his voice incredibly soft. I offered him a bewildered look.

"What are you talking about? You're the one who doesn't want to be with me!" I said angrily. Hiei stared at me for another three seconds before his eyes narrowed and he growled, pushing me backwards onto the bed. I yelled out in alarm and tried to shove him off of me, but the growl that came out of his mouth stopped me from moving. I had never heard Hiei make that noise before. He pinned my hands down to the bed, and the now alarmed nurse stepped up to the bed, unsure of what to do.

"Uh, excuse me?" She said, her voice small. Hiei's turned a heated glare towards her and his lips pulled back over his teeth, and he let out something that was a cross between a hiss and a deep growl, his canines showing. My eyes widened. Hiei had definitely never made that sound before. "Get out!" Hiei shouted at her. The girl, now wide eyed and terrified, did as she was told.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" I shouted. Hiei's eyes focused back on me, and he frowned.

"Shut up. You're pissing me off." He said. I gaped at him, bewildered.

"I'm pissing YOU off? Hiei, you're the one who wants to drop everything and go be with your new reason for living. I already said I was okay with it. It's good that you have someone who understands you. I'm sure Mukuro will make a good mate. You don't have to do this." I told him. Hiei's remained on top of me but straightened up and released my hands like I had burnt him, a look of pure disgust crossing his features as he stared at me.

"What? Mukuro?" He asked, confused. I nodded. "What in the hell are you talking about? Why the hell would I want to mate with Mukuro?" He asked, sounding disgusted. The fight drained out of me and I let out a breath of air, staring at him.

"Hiei, I'm not blind. I'm not stupid. And I have ears, as well as eyes. It's pretty obvious what your little fight meant to you. What she did for you, and what you did for her. That you all but admitted she was your reason for living. And I can't live up to that. So just what was it supposed to mean?" I asked him, holding back the pain that threatened to come forward. I really didn't want to have this conversation. Hiei was staring at me, his mouth open again. He snapped it shut after a moment, and the stare turned into a glare.

"You know, for someone who's supposed to be a genius, you sure can be dumb." He said curtly. I glared at him. "What is it? Is it jealousy?" He asked. I growled at him.

"No, Hiei. This isn't just simple jealousy. This isn't like someone who's hitting on you in a way that I don't like. This is different. Don't pretend to be blind or ignorant of what happened between you two." I said hotly. He shook his head at me.

"You don't know anything." He said quietly. "I'm not going to say that our fight didn't mean something, because it did. But it didn't mean what you think it means." He told me. I scowled.

"Really? You're going with the 'this isn't what it looks like' routine?" I asked stubbornly. He glared at me.

"In case you haven't noticed, I had a very difficult time in expressing myself." He said with a monotonous voice. He looked down at my chest for a moment, and then he sighed, looking back up to my eyes. "I could never figure out why. You always tried to tell me, but you were too close to the problem. Whenever anyone gets close to me, I run in the opposite direction. I can't help it. I hated the way you made me feel. I hated the way Yusuke made me feel. I even hated the way Kuwabara made me feel. Damn, especially Kuwabara." He said, closing his eyes for a moment and shaking his head. I stared at him, curious, and not wanting to say anything less he stop talking. "You guys were too close to me. I couldn't hear the problem and fix it with you guys there, it just wasn't going to happen. You were too close, especially you." He said, staring at me again. He frowned then, trying to think of something, before he growled in frustration. "Kurama, I really didn't want to have this conversation like this. May I?" He asked, raising his hand to touch my temple. He wanted to access to my head, so that I could get access to his. I thought about it, unsure. If I said no, he wouldn't do it. He swore to me he wouldn't, and I know he wouldn't. I didn't know if I wanted Hiei in my head at the moment. But then I looked at his face, and it was totally open and clear. He wanted to show me this.

"Okay." I said softly. With his left hand, Hiei pulled the bandana off of his head, his other hand gripping the side of my face. The Jagan opened and glowed a purple color, and focused intently on me. And then I was immersed in a world of black. It was very rare for Hiei to share anything with me this way. And even then it was always heavily guarded. I could only see what he wanted me to see, and then he would shut me out. But this felt different. There were no restraints on my mind. I could see and feel everything. A rush of emotion came over me so strong that I couldn't breathe, and I couldn't tell what it was. And then I realized that was because it was a swirl of many emotions. Emotions that I didn't even know Hiei felt.

Shame for being in the same company with Kuwabara, shame for himself. He associated Kuwabara with a white knight, someone who couldn't do any wrong. And the shame Hiei felt in being tainted in blackness and death. The complete and utter respect for Yusuke, and a fierce loyalty. The hollow and black anger he felt at the fear of losing him or Kuwabara. He would follow them to the death if he had to, something he was never willing to do before. Not even in fighting Sensui. The love and adoration he felt for Yukina, and a strong urge to do everything in his power to protect her. The feeling of suffering through the Jagan surgery for the sole purpose of finding and protecting her showed through, and I gripped the back of Hiei's shirt, only half feeling the hot kisses raining down on my temple and jaw. And then something about me started to surface, and Hiei finally took control.

_'Not yet, Koi.'_His voice said, gentler and stronger than I had ever heard it before resounded inside of my head. Koi, a pet name shared between mates. He had never called me that before. His mind guided us to his fight with Mukuro, but first came the emotions. Gratitude, mostly, and an over whelming sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. He had gotten what he needed from that fight, and he felt satisfaction from helping Mukuro with her problems as well, from releasing her from her binds of hate as she had done for him. But it wasn't the way I thought it was. Mukuro was an outside force with a similar past to Hiei's. She too felt this way for very little people, but her problems weren't quite the same as Hiei. Whatever binds that were holding Hiei back from feeling emotion had been unwound, and because she wasn't as close to him as we were, she could make him clearly see that running from his relationships was only going to make it worse.

We were coming to the end of this, and I once again started to surface. And this time, Hiei didn't stop it. I felt for it with my mind, eager for it, too curious to even try to be patient and stop myself. Wave after wave of several different emotions swirled around in my head, and it took me a moment to make sense of them. Protection, loyalty, need, admiration, respect, lust, a rocky beginning with a completely stable ending. The last wave that fell over me left me breathless as Hiei's mind lingered a moment longer, and then pulled back, quickly placing the bandana over his closing Jagan. He laid back down on top of me, brushing back strands of hair from my face as I tried to catch my breath, my own fingers curling into his hair.

"You love me." It was a statement, not a question. It sounded even strange to me, but the look on his face never changed. He was completely calm and at ease, although a little nervous to what my reaction might be. "You love me." I said again. The corner of his mouth twitched up into a smile, before a serious look came over his face.

"I still don't know if I would call it something as stupid as love. Sounds too…." He trailed off, I smiled a little, a blissful happiness settling over me.

"Ningen?" I asked softly. He smiled a little, curled his other hand into my hair, and then kissed me so hard I felt breathless again. He pulled the shirt away from my neck and stared at my pulse, seeming to think about something. He leaned down slowly, lightly pressing kisses over my neck and pulse. I wondered if he was going to mark me, as he liked to do from time to time. Instead, he pulled back and stared at me for a moment.

"Feel free to say no to this, although I'd really prefer if you didn't." He said, leaning down to kiss my pulse again. His lips lingered, and I understood what he wanted. But I was shocked, to say the least.

"Hiei?" I asked. He sat up with a smirk on his face.

"I want to do it officially." He told me, the smirk never leaving.

"You want to become mates, by demon standards." I cleared up. He blinked slowly a few times and nodded.

"A little slow on the up take, aren't we?" He asked, teasing. I smiled at him and even laughed a little, shaking my head. He waited patiently for me to answer, but I was totally speechless.

"I don't know what to say." I said honestly. He narrowed his eyes at me and pouted.

"You could say yes." He said curtly. I smiled again.

"Of course." I answered honestly. He sat back a little, satisfied with my answer, and leaned in to kiss me once more. "When?" I asked, after he pulled back once more. He thought about it.

"After we both heal properly." He answered with a shrug. He finally got off of me and stretched, letting out a yawn.

"You're so cute sometimes." I said off handedly. His head whipped around to look at me so fast I thought he was going to break something. He had a heated glare on his face.

"I am not cute." He said with determination. My smile widened.

"That's not helping. In fact, that's making it worse." I said, standing up to and standing in front of him. His glare never lessened up and I chuckled a little. "I'm not kidding. I think you're getting cuter by the second." I teased. He growled and was about to say something, when I pushed his back onto the bed, keeping my weight up with the bed and bending down to kiss him again. We stayed like that for a while until we heard a coughing at the door, and I looked over in slight alarm. Hiei, on the other hand, a lazy look on his face. Yusuke was standing in the door way, with his arms crossed and a glare on his face.

"You two going at it again?" He asked with an unbelieving voice. I was about to move when Hiei wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Well, we were trying to. Until someone decided to come and ruin things." He said, playfully glaring at Yusuke, who gaped at him and then gave him the finger.

"Hey! I was coming to see how my friends were doing with their...ahem…injuries. But I see you two were obviously faking it so you could get some alone time together. Jerks. And here I am in an actual amount of pain!" He said, ignoring the bandages wrapped him as he stalked into the room. I laughed then and Hiei finally released me, a ghost of a smile on his face too. With Hiei and I both standing up, Kuwabara walked into the room then.

"There you guys are! I've been looking everywhere for you guys!" He said, crossing his arms and glaring at all of us. Without missing a beat, Hiei spoke up,

"Is it just me, or do you sound stupider and stupider every time you open your mouth?" He asked, though it was easy to tell he didn't mean it.. Kuwabara, apparently, didn't get it. His mouth fell open and he stalked into the room, making a show of rolling up his sleeves.

"Listen here shorty, don't think that just because you're hurt that I'll take it easy on you." He said. Hiei grunted and stepped forward, not afraid to take on the challenge with an amused smirk on his face.

"Please. I could take you on and defeat you while I'm half asleep." He said. Kuwabara's face turned slightly red as he actually stomped his foot. The two carried on as they normally did as Yusuke laughed and sat on the bed.

"What are grinning about?" He asked me. I looked at him, a little shocked. I didn't even notice. I laughed a little and shrugged.

"Just happy." I told him. He smiled and nodded, seeming to understand.

"Hiei seems a little different." He offered. He was a lot sharper than everyone gave him credit for. We watched the two continue with their banter and light attacks on one another.

"He is a little different. But, it's in a good way." I reassured Yusuke, who nodded with a smile.

"Good. I'd hate to think that my little group is changing and going off, ignoring one another." Yusuke said. Kuwabara finally managed to get out of Hiei's headlock and he stared at Yusuke with a serious look.

"Of course we're not! We're friends. Friends don't do that, right?" He asked. Yusuke nodded, as did I. Even Hiei nodded, which earned him an odd look from Kuwabara. Hiei went on the defensive right away.

"What? You want me to be the bad guy? Fine, I'm the bad guy. I hate all of you." He said, turning and stalking out of the room. Yusuke fell backwards onto the bed, laughing and Kuwabara looked stunned at Hiei's retreating figure.

"What just happened?" He asked, confused. I controlled my own laughter and shook my head.

"Absolutely nothing, Kuwabara. Everything's just fine." I said, knowing for the first time that it was really true.

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><p><strong>Final Author's Note: <strong>Now that you're finished, I just wanted to point something out. There's obviously something different with my timeline here. xD. Yusuke was unconscious after his fight with Yomi until the end of the tournament, and Kuwabara wasn't even there.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? WHO CARES? lol.

I just wanted a happy feel good moment with the whole gang. So, I messed up with the timeline.  
>Bite me. :3<br>Anyways, let me know what you think? I loveth you. Now, loveth me back, and send me a review. (:  
>And while you're at it, GO FREAKING READ MAYUSHII'S SAISEI PROJECT, FOOL.<p>

Finally, the prompt was sort of inspired by the song Higher by Creed.  
>Herp derp.<p> 


	12. Old Maid

**Author's Note:** Wooh! New chapter. I hope you guys like it. :3 I haven't had inspiration for a drabble lately, but I just randomly thought of this and went with it. Let me know what you think? Reviews make me happy. No reviews make me sad face.

You wouldn't like me when I'm sad face. /stares hard

**Disclaimer: **I don't own YYH, Hiei, or Kurama. Which is a shame.

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><p><strong>The Crow and The Butterfly<strong>

_Prompt Name: Old Maid  
>Timeline: NA  
>Point of View: Kurama<br>Word Count: 372  
>Notes: Winding down from that last emotional chapter, let's have some funnies!<br>_

Hiei and I sat in complete and total silence, which was normally something we did well. Tonight, however, was a little different. The air was thick with tension and anticipation and I watched as his eyes flickered left and right, indecision in them. His face had been set in a stoic expression ever since we started, and he wasn't about to break it any time soon. Putting my own mask on, I watched deftly as the gears in his head turned. Once again he looked to my eyes for any hint, but he would find nothing but a cold depth there. Emerald clashed against crimson as Hiei slowly reached his hand out, and I took a subtle in take of breath.

The tips of his fingers stopped short of my own hands, but he kept his eyes on me the entire time, and not for the first time I felt like I could feel them burning. The intense moment was finally over as Hiei quickly snatched a card from my hand and turned it around to look on the face. I watched as his face went from stoic to annoyed, and I couldn't stop the smile spreading from mine.

"The Old Maid. You lose, again," I commented lightly. He glared heavily at the card like he wanted to set it on fire, and I briefly thought he might. He threw his cards down and cursed, crossing his arms and actually began to pout.

"This game is stupid," he growled out, and I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing.

"You just don't like it because you keep losing," I shot right back; enjoying the rise I was getting out of him. He looked like I had deeply offended him, which I probably had.

"I'm leaving," he said flatly, standing up and heading for the window. I couldn't stop the short laugh that came out that time, and Hiei whirled around to glare heatedly at me, which only made me laugh harder. With a final snarl he opened the window and moved to jump out of it, and yet I was still laughing.

"Sore loser," I muttered between laughs, earning an obscene gesture from his middle finger before he took off.


	13. Tinted Pink

**Author's Note:** Hello everyone! New installment for this. I hope you guys enjoy it, because it was pretty fun writing it. Let me know if there should be a second part to this? o.o? Please review! It makes me happy when you review and makes me feel like people are actually reading this. xD.

**Disclaimer:** Copyrighted material belongs to their respective owners. I own nothing but the plot.

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><p><strong>The Crow and The Butterfly<strong>

_Prompt Name: Tinted Pink_  
><em>Timeline: Sometime after the series ends<em>  
><em>Point of View: Kurama<em>  
><em>Word Count: NA_  
><em>Notes: Wanted to try something different here, this one may (and when I say may I mean totally will) go over my word count limit. :3<em>

Plating the tempura I made for dinner, I grabbed a pair of chopsticks and sat at the bar and began to eat, my thoughts nowhere near me as they ran hard and free. A horrid feeling had made itself present in the pit of my stomach, and for the past two weeks I couldn't understand the cause of it, much less the solution. I was feeling incredibly anxious and I couldn't understand the reason. Of course, the topic of the reason took only seconds to realize. But it was the cause that was bothering me so much. My mind reeled once again over the conversation we had three weeks ago, and I found myself chewing on my bottom lip rather than my tempura.

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><p>"<em>How long will you be gone?" I asked lazily, staring at Hiei through sleep filled eyes. Hiei was quiet for a moment as he pulled his shirt back on and began the hunt for his boots.<em>

"_Not long." The space beneath my bed was searched before Hiei pulled one boot out and then stood up, staring down at it with a pondering look. "How the hell…never mind," he muttered to himself, looking around for the second boot. Moments later and Hiei found the object he was looking for underneath my discarded shirt. Tucking his shirt into his pants and buckling them, he sat on the edge of the bed and began pulling his boots on. I sat up, the sheet pooling around my waist, and wrapped a lazy arm around the fire youkai's waist and set my chin on his shoulder._

"_This must be some patrol you're going on," I murmured against his neck. Once Hiei's boots were on his feet, he turned to me and placed a hand on my chest, pushing me back into a lying position._

"_No idea." His lips found mine then as he placated me for a moment, my nose bombarded with the smell of ashes and burning wood before he pulled back and taking a playful nip at the tip of my chin._

"_Mm, you smell wonderful," I commented, choosing to ignore the eye roll he was giving me in my current state. As it was, I was nearly half asleep._

"_Go to sleep, Fox. I should be back in about a week, maybe a few days longer." He informed me, releasing me from his hold and grabbing the katana that sat leaning against a wall, strapping it to his waist, and grabbing his coat and pulling it on. Finally grabbing the white scarf, soon to be cowl, off the back of my computer chair and tucking it into his coat, he opened up the window._

"_You know, since my mother moved out, you could use the front door. Instead of coming and going through my window like a creeper," I told him playfully, enjoying the disapproving frown he sent my way._

"_The window is faster," he justified, and I couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped me._

"_I'm just teasing, Koi. Be careful, and I'll see you son." I yawned as Hiei's glare softened and he shook his head, heading off into the night._

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><p>Three weeks later and Hiei hadn't come back, or anywhere close to the Ningenkai as Yusuke had told me. I visited him after two full weeks had gone by and asked if he could do some digging, which he readily agreed to do. Unfortunately, Koenma couldn't tell him much. The patrol Hiei was called on was a security patrol for Enki, and nobody from the patrol had been heard from since they left, and Hiei's scent was nowhere near the border between the Ningenkai and the Makai either. Losing my appetite, I sat back in the bar stood and sighed, shaking my head. Hiei was more than capable of taking care of himself, and if he knew I was worrying about him like this just because he was gone a little longer than he previously thought, he'd be more than unhappy with me. And yet I couldn't stop this horrid feeling from spreading throughout my entire body. <em>Something<em> was wrong. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I jumped in surprise as I heard a loud thump coming from my bedroom, and I placed a hand over my speeding heart.

"Inari, how could I let my guard down like that?" I scolded myself, and then quickly stood up from my stool when I realized there was someone in my house. The scent was distorted, but I'd bet my life that I knew who it was. I raced up the steps and opened the bedroom, only to be greeted by a pool of blood on the floor, a trail leading from my bedroom and across the hall, leading straight into my bathroom. My breath caught in my throat as I hurried to the bathroom, opening the door with shaky hands and coming face to face with Hiei, who wore a pain filled expression on his face as blood dribbled out of the corner of his mouth. His hand was over his stomach, a dark red stain covering over half of Hiei's shirt and the top of his pants.

"Kurama," Hiei rasped out, panting as his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He had several deep lacerations on his arms and shoulders, and a bruise on his temple. The cuts on his arm were completely horizontal and placed strategically up his arms, spaced evenly as well. I looked on in shock and horror as Hiei stumbled backwards into the wall, sliding down the wall, a trail of blood left behind him. I caught him before he hit the floor and steadied him.

"Hiei!" I called out, grabbing his face and turning him towards me. His eyes were shaking incredibly fast, unable to focus on me as his head drooped forward, as if he didn't have the strength to hold it up anymore. "Hiei, come on, focus!" I yelled out, laying him down on his back and ripping his already torn shirt off of him. My breath caught in my throat as I looked at the horrid gash on Hiei's stomach, blood freely pouring from it. The cut was so deep that it cut entirely through each layer of skin and muscle, and at the very center of the cut was the lining of Hiei's stomach. The edges of his skin were torn, telling me that the blade was serrated.

"Kurama," Hiei whispered, his voice nearly gone. I met his eyes then and gripped his hand, my heart beating hard against my chest.

"Stay with me," I commanded earnestly, taking a look around my bathroom. The first aid kit under the sink wouldn't help with wounds like these, and I remembered there was a supply of serious hospital equipment in my mother's old bedroom from when she fell ill. "Hiei, I'll be right back. I have to get a few things to help you. Keep pressing this onto your wound, don't let go," I said sternly, pressing his hand onto his shirt that was being used to stop the bleeding. His other hand gripped onto me for a moment and I gently pried it loose. "I'll be right back, Koi. Just hold on," I whispered, standing up and damn near sprinting down the stairs and into my mother's old room.

I threw all of the equipment in a bin and rushed back up the stairs, stepping into the bathroom and leaning next to Hiei again and taking his hand. Removing the shirt, I inspected the wound for any debris, and finding none, I grabbed a saline solution and disinfectant from the bin and poured it onto some gauze, dabbing the wound clean. I did my best to ignore Hiei's yell of pain, grateful that he was still with me. If he could still feel pain it meant he wasn't dead.

"Detective…" Hiei muttered out, gaining my attention.

"What?" I asked, right before Yusuke burst into the bathroom. His eyes landed on Hiei and went as wide as saucers, leaning down on the other side of him and pressing more gauze onto the wound for the disinfectant to work.

"Holy shit! What the hell happened!?" Yusuke screamed, looking straight at me. I shook my head and pulled the gauze off, grabbing a shot of lidocaine and epinephrine and shooting it into the area around Hiei's stomach. I pressed the gauze back to the wound to help with the bleeding and looked at Yusuke with wide eyes.

"I have no idea. I just found him like this," I answered, looking at Hiei who was staring hard at Yusuke. Hiei shot his hand out and gripped onto Yusuke's shirt and yanked him close.

"Not dead," he said between clenched teeth, struggling to breathe properly.

"What?" Yusuke asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Not dead!" Hiei yelled, his grip on Yusuke's shirt tightening. "Coming…coming…" he repeated over and over again, until Yusuke closed his eyes and removed Hiei's hand, gripping onto it tight.

"Whatever did this isn't dead, and they're coming," Yusuke said after a moment. "Can you handle this? I'm going to go look for this bastard," he said, standing up. I nodded.

"Go!" Hiei yelled, glaring straight at Yusuke.

"Alright. You hang in there, Hiei. If you die on me, I swear I'm going to beat the living hell out of you," Yusuke swore, turning and rushing out of the bathroom and heading back down the stairs.

"Hiei, can you feel anything in this area?" I asked, pressing hard in the area above his wound and then below it. Hiei concentrated for a moment before shaking his head. "Good. The anesthetic has kicked in. Stay with me, Koi," I told him, gripping his hand for a moment before staring on the next procedure. Grabbing a pair of surgical scissors, I cut away the jagged pieces of Hiei's skin, talking nonsense to Hiei so he would stay focused on my voice. I don't remember how long I was hunched over him, staring to place absorbable suture underneath the lying tissue so it would mend together once again. After what seemed like hours, all that was left was the skin to suture, which I got to work on. I kept talking the entire time, Hiei sometimes answered back as best he could, and sometimes he was silent.

Finally the wound on his stomach was closed, and I quickly got to work on doing the same thing on his arms, and by the time I was finished the sun was rising in the sky. Placing an antibiotic ointment over each of the fresh sutures, I taped a patch of gauze onto the wound on his stomach, and sat Hiei up and undressed him, turning the water on the tub on. I kept the plug out of the tub so it wouldn't fill and I set Hiei inside, leaning at the edge of the tub and pulling the bandana off his forehead, I washed his hair first, which was half matted down with blood.

"I'm so tired…" Hiei muttered, his eyes fluttering close every now and then.

"I know. Just stay awake a little longer," I pleaded, lightly kissing his shoulder and continuing to wash his hair. I put the plug inside of the drain and let the tub fill up to his waist, shutting it off before it hit his stomach. The wound had to stay dry for at least a day before it could get wet, but I wanted to get him cleaned up and the area around his arms clean. I took a sponge and gently cleaned his body, wiping away caked on mud, dirt, and blood. By the time I unplugged the drain and pulled Hiei out of the water, it was tinted pink. I sat a nearly unconscious Hiei on the covered toilet and wrapped his arms up in fresh gauze, making sure they were tight. Finally, I pulled Hiei up to his feet and half carried him to my bedroom, laying him down on the edge of the bed. I grabbed a pair of black sweat pants that he wore from time to time and put them on, noting that he finally closed his eyes and fell into a light slumber.

"Kurama," he muttered, waking up momentarily.

"I'm going to set you up with an IV, make sure you're hydrated. Then I'm going to shower and get in bed, okay?" I told him, lightly kissing him before leaving him there. I quickly brought up an IV bag and stand that my mother used to use and set it up next to Hiei, inserting the needle into his arm and taping it there. Hiei was now fully asleep, and I left to go clean everything up. I didn't realize I was shaking until I dropped the mop, placing a hand over my mouth. It took a few moments to get a grip on myself, but I quickly cleaned up the floor, the wall, the tub, and then my discarded dinner and took a quick shower.

Finally, _finally_, I pulled on a pair of my own sweat pants and climbed into bed next to Hiei against the wall. I pulled the blankets over both of us and maneuvered his arm so it was out of the way and comfortable and laid my head on his chest, careful not to touch the wound on his stomach.

"Sorry I'm late," Hiei whispered quietly, his eyes opening only a little. I shook my head and gently kissed him.

"Hush. Go back to bed. Yusuke will take care of whoever did this, and when you wake up, we'll talk. For now, sleep." I laid my head back on his chest and listened to him inhale and exhale, wariness and exhaustion settling over me too.

"Thank you, Koi," Hiei whispered, taking in a deep breath, and then letting sleep consume him entirely.


End file.
